Stephanie Wambua
Event Moderator
At some point during preparation, I genuinely asked myself: "How do I pull this off?"
But maybe that is what building looks like sometimes.
From the word go, I knew this conversation would be deeply personal for me because I am in a serious building season myself. Building an agency, building my voice, building my craft. So this wasn't just a panel I was moderating. This was a conversation I needed and it delivered.
During this LinkedIn Local Nairobi, we went deep. Pitching. Marketing and visibility. Financing. Sustainability. Leveraging your personal brand. The panelists shared vulnerably and honestly, the things that almost broke them and the things that got them through. You had to be in the room.
What moderating actually looks like
What excites me most about this work is the preparation - long before anyone sees me on stage.
It starts with research: understanding each panellist's journey, their wins, their turning points, the stories they haven't told yet. From there, I design intentional questions that guide the flow of conversation rather than interrupt it. On the day, the work shifts to listening actively, managing time gracefully so every voice has room to breathe and steering the discussion so it stays true to the theme - while still leaving space for the unexpected moments that make a panel memorable.
My role goes beyond holding the mic. It's about creating an atmosphere where learning and inspiration can genuinely thrive for the panellists and the audience alike.
A full-circle moment
Beyond the panel itself, sharing a stage with my mentor and coach Peter Kitavi was something I won't take lightly for a long time.
Two years ago, I was watching his events from Instagram - learning, taking notes, quietly inspired. Standing beside him as a fellow contributor on that stage was a full-circle moment that reminded me of something important: even as you build, you are holding someone up without knowing it, when you choose to share your story and journey.
That's the kind of building that matters.
If you're building something too
This experience reaffirmed why I love moderating: the blend of planning, storytelling and live engagement that makes an event genuinely memorable.
Thank you to LinkedIn Local Nairobi for having me. Thank you to every panellist who shared so generously. And thank you to everyone who showed up and contributed to the room.
If you are currently building something keep going.
If you're looking for someone to hold space for your next panel conversation, moderate your next event and ask the questions that get people to truly open up I'm ready.
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